


Submergence

by Ausp_ice



Series: Submergence [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Gunshot Wounds, Inspired by Art, M/M, Mer AU, Mer!Nines, MerMay, My own art. Take 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24034819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ausp_ice/pseuds/Ausp_ice
Summary: Connor breaks Nines, a mer, out of a research facility. Unfortunately, there are people that aren't happy about that.
Relationships: Connor/Upgraded Connor | RK900
Series: Submergence [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985711
Comments: 13
Kudos: 108





	Submergence

**Author's Note:**

> Vaguely inspired by The Shape of Water! I remember watching it long ago. Consider this my first contribution to MerMay. Ever, I think.
> 
> The art is posted on Twitter [ here](https://twitter.com/Ausp_ice/status/1257033631425421312?s=20)!

* * *

The bullet that tears through him doesn't seem like much at first, in the half-second it takes for the blood to start blooming across his dirtied white shirt. 

The world seems almost frozen, holding its breath. The twilight casts the pier in an ethereal glow. The churning waters below are loud in this suspended moment, where Connor is cornered by one of the officers chasing him. Him and the mer he broke out of a research facility, consequences be damned.

He looks down, putting a hand on the wound. It comes away bloody, covered in red. He looks up, at the officer who shot him. He seems as shocked as Connor feels. 

And then he looks down to where Nines has fallen over, looking at him with wide eyes as black scales shimmer across his skin. 

Connor lifts a hand towards him, trembling. Mouthing, _Nines?_ before the entire world tilts, before he starts to _feel_ it, a hot, burning sensation driving a live wire in his nerves. 

Cool arms catch him before he falls, but he's already shaking, biting back a voiceless scream, clutching at the fire in his chest. 

He's aware, vaguely, of an inhuman cry of rage. A firm hand presses against his, and then—gone.

Where? N-no, come back. Please, please, please no. Don't leave me. 

Hands on him again, familiar, and he sobs in relief. There's a cool touch on his face, and he pries his eyes open, blinking away his tears, to see Nines gazing at him with a torn expression. Blood is spattered over his face, and Connor thinks that it wasn't there before. 

More shouts. Nines looks up, away, slits at his neck shifting to flare into gills. He looks back down, brows furrowed. A finger trails gently across Connor's cheek, before the half-shifted mer pulls Connor into his arms, pressing them together. The world spins, and Connor can only cling desperately to Nines's back, rapidly transitioning to the smooth texture of scales. 

And then—falling. But not for long, before they hit the shockingly cold water. Any warmth he had is rapidly sapped out of him, any strength ebbing away. He pries his eyes open, ignoring the sting of the saltwater, to see Nines gazing at him, surface light framing him like a halo from behind even as his own bioluminescence flickers into existence. His legs are gone, now, replaced by a long, black-scaled trail, blossoming with fins lined with glowing blue.

It's so beautiful. Nines is so beautiful. Connor thinks he could die like this, and be eased that at least this is the last thing he sees. 

His own blood taints the water, crimson in the fluid glassiness, and Connor draws a hand through it almost absentmindedly. When hands frame his face, though, he turns back to Nines. The mer's mouth parts, revealing his array of sharp teeth, before he draws near, pressing his lips to Connor's. 

It takes his breath away, as if he had any left to give. He lets himself drown, in the sensation, in the water. The world darkens, slipping to nothingness… 

And then he seizes as a simultaneously freezing and burning sensation slices across his entire being. He screams—or attempts to, underwater, and the bubbles of the last of his air escape him. 

He writhes, even as arms circle around him, holding him close, holding him together. His neck _burns—_ and then he gasps, as he suddenly feels like he can _breathe._

The sensation fades to nothing, and he realizes—the pain is gone, too. He can feel his—his _gills_ fluttering at his neck. The sensation is alien, incomprehensible. He's otherwise still human-shaped, though, as far as he can tell. 

He pulls back slightly, meeting Nines's brightly glowing eyes. And the mer—smiles. Worried, hesitant, guilty. Touch careful. Ready to pull away. 

Connor puts his hands on either side of Nines's face. He pulls him closer. Pulls them together. 

They sink, deeper into the water. Where the humans can't find them, can't hurt them. Lips pressed to lips, bodies pressed close together, intertwined. 

They sink, submerging themselves into the abyss. 


End file.
